26 November 2019, Johannesburg — Responding to media reports that Koeberg’s onsite spent fuel storage capacity is 90% full and will be completely full by April 2020, Melita Steele, Greenpeace Africa’s Senior Climate and Energy Campaign Manager has said:
“It is incredibly short-sighted for the government to pursue extending Koeberg’s lifespan – potentially at the expense of our safety. Not only are South Africans going to have to fork out more money for more storage for high-level radioactive waste, but there is also no long term solution for this waste, which can remain radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years.
“The harsh reality is that nuclear is never safe. The older nuclear power stations become, the more there is a risk of something going wrong, which could have catastrophic impacts for the people in Cape Town who live near Koeberg. We need to cut our losses and be rational about our energy future: there is no doubt that Koeberg should be closed at the end of its lifespan, and investments should be immediately shifted into clean and safe renewable energy.”
Contact details:
Chris Vlavianos, Communications Officer: Greenpeace Africa, 0798837036, [email protected]